Getting braced on Wednesday 8th Nov - need abit of advice!!

[kay]

Hi there everyone! A work colleague overheard me talking to another work colleague about getting braces and he recommended i visit this site. Very glad he was listening in otherwise i would never have come across it!

I think it is great to get advice and tips from other people with braces, after all who else would know better?!!

Well i'm 26 years old and even though my teeth have never bothered me i wanted to get them done to have a perfect smile for my wedding next yr! The main problem with them are that i have over crowding and my front 2 teeth overlap. I went to see my orthodontist a couple of weeks back and he recommended i get fixed metal braces to get them done on time. My wedding is next august so i'm hoping he'l stick to his word! He also offers ceramic braces, which i would prefer but he estimated they would not be complete in time for the wedding. Will the metal ones really straighten my teeth out in about 9 months??

So i am having to psyche myself up for the metal ones now! I was going to get the bottom ones done too after taking 2 of my back teeth out but one tooth has decayed and broken up quite badly. I would need an oral surgeon to take it out and the waiting list at the nhs hospital might be quite long! Therefore, i have asked the ortho to just do my top ones for me and he is going to charge me £1400. My original quote with my lowers was £2400 so he has knocked off £1000. He also offers 10% discount if i pay it all at my 1st appointment. Has anyone paid up front like this? Isn't it risky?

Would i need to take some paracetomols or anything before i get my braces put on. I'm scared incase my teeth & mouth will ache! Also will my top lip stick out alot from the brace? I'm concerned as it will not be equal due to not getting my lowers done.

My ortho seems very nice as he said if i have any major events before the wedding he will even take the brace out for me fo the day! Need to check if that will count for my hen do which might be longer than a day! I'll c!

Well anyways, thank you for taking the time out to read my post, & if you have any advice i will be more than grateful to hear from you!

[xtrememkovr]

welcome, kay.

And congrats on your wedding!!

I understand it's a special day and I don't think I want to be in braces when and if I get married - but a few things concern me about your post... please know that this is just an opinion from a very opinionated poster - and not meant to discourage you AT ALL... just have to state my piece...

1. Getting your tops done for cosmetic reasons while leaving your bottom teeth alone doesn't seem right. Wouldn't your top teeth and those teeth being straighten make your bite a bit "off"?

2. I have heard that the metal and ceramic difference is only a matter of a month (or two) which would DEFINITELY make a difference with a specific wedding date - but if ceramic braces are less visible - I would go with ceramics and get both tops and bottoms. a.) many photographers can retouch photos and take off the braces from pictures... and b.) your teeth would probably be much straighter by the date of your wedding and the ceramics on them would be less noticeable... (??) and c.) you would be cosmetically fixing your teeth - but also - heck - if you gotta be in braces - might as well just GO FOR IT and fix everything all at once so you don't have regrets and have to go back at a later date and redo stuff...

3. I get quite nervous with anyone saying that they can assure you of having your braces off by a specific date/time. There are so many variables it seems - that how do they really know beyond a doubt that they will be off before you get married. So if there are slight problems and your wedding date is a week away - they will just forego those problems because of a promise to have them off by a specific date? That doesn't sound so good...

kay - I reallllllly will be supportive of whatever you decide to do - because it is, after all, your mouth. I can't say I know exactly what you're facing because in your situation I might do the same thing... I'm not facing a wedding in a few months so it would be unfair of me to assume anything...

I just had to throw out some things that went thru my mind after reading your post. Take it or leave it... you know the drill.

Welcome to the board and I hope your brace day goes smoothly.

Kari

[kay]

Hi xtremekovr! Thank you for ur reply. I asked my work colleague about braces as his wife had them for about 3 years. And he said that she didn't get her bottom ones until 6 months after her tops! But maybe her situation was different i'm not sure. But yes you are completely right in highlighting the possible bite issue. I will address it to the ortho on wednesday and see what he says.

My ortho also told me that the ceramics will take an extra 6 months!! Which i thought was a bit of an extreme prediction as especially as many posts i have read on here say there isn't a big gap in terms of time. I did ask him on the phone again the other day if i definately could not get ceramic instead. I think it boils down to him feeling unsure as to whether he can complete my treatment for my wedding and he possibly doesn't want to risk them being delayed with the ceramics. As he knows that it is the only reason i am getting them done!

Plus i am guessing he must be thinking of me as he quoted me £2900 for the ceramics so he would be getting more money from me with them.

Ive seen a couple of posts on here with people with slightly the same prob as me (overlapping front teeth) and for some of them they straighten out in about a couple of months. But i know everyones case is different and i'm hoping mine will be quick too!

I would love to take the ceramic option but i'm scared that the ortho will not be able to finish on time like he has said for the metals. Feel so indecisive!!

I see that you've had yours on for over a week now! How have they been? Did u get the ceramics?

[ghostmyimag3]

I am also getting my braces on Wednesday!Did they say that it may throw your bite off any? I've seen many people get their uppers done and later on they'd get their lowers done. Not sure as to why though.

[lionfish]

6 months longer in ceramics? Surely not. I've got ceramics on my lowers and there was never any question about them prolonging treatment.

Ceramics are barely visible. A friend of mine has her uppers in ceramics and it took me a while to realise that she actually had braces. And I was a couple of feet away from her at the time.

While you may be anxious about the visibility issue now, by the time your wedding comes around - and if you're still in braces - this may well have become much less of an issue for you than it is now. In any event, the braces can be airbrushed out of your wedding pics. Or they can be removed for the duration of the event.

[Delag]

My two cents...or pence as the case might be. If you are going to go through all the trouble of getting the braces, do it right - have that bottom tooth taken care of ASAP, and brace the lowers as well. Your jaw may be damaged from a bad bite and you wouldn´t know it untill it was too late (I speak from personal experience).

one tooth has decayed and broken up quite badly¨

You really need to get that taken care of before anything else. I had a tooth that was filled incorectly and had major decay hidden under the filling. I was sick all the time (never realized it was because of all the nasty stuff in the tooth), and it cost quite a bit of $ to get it fixed in the end.¨

If the orthodontist can take the braces off for a special event before the wedding why don't you just have him take them off for the wedding? That way you can get started and not have the pressure of finishing 'on time'.

Ok, way more than my two cents (or pesos in my case) Welcome to the board...what the heck is a hen?

[kay]

I am also getting my braces on Wednesday!Did they say that it may throw your bite off any? I've seen many people get their uppers done and later on they'd get their lowers done. Not sure as to why though.

Hi, wow we're getting braced on the same day!! My ortho hasnt really mentioned anything about the bite issue, but i am assuming that it might be ok as so many people seem to get their uppers done and then their lowers. But i am going to ask him on wednesday and maybe you should do the same too for piece of mind! Hope it goes well!

[kay]

6 months longer in ceramics? Surely not. I've got ceramics on my lowers and there was never any question about them prolonging treatment.

Hi lionfish! Yeh i think the ortho has told me it will be that much longer to sway me to get the metals. I'm contemplating whether to go against what hes recommended and take the risk of getting the ceramics! I just wish i didnt have a timescale cos then i would definately get the ceramics! Serves me right for leaving it so late!!!

[kay]

Hi Delag! Thank you for ur reply! I think i will look into sorting the bottom teeth out too now. Need to get a quote from an oral surgeon and see how quick he can get them out! I think i might have a minor jaw problem now that you mentioned it! As sometimes it clicks when i try and open it wide, like eating an apple!

"Welcome to the board...what the heck is a hen?"

A hen do is the girly night you have with ur girl mates b4 u get married!

[kay]

Hi Delag! Thank you for ur reply! I think i will look into sorting the bottom teeth out too now. Need to get a quote from an oral surgeon and see how quick he can get them out! I think i might have a minor jaw problem now that you mentioned it! As sometimes it clicks when i try and open it wide, like eating an apple!

"Welcome to the board...what the heck is a hen?"

A hen do is the girly night you have with ur girl mates b4 u get married!

[kay]

Hi KK!

Thank you for ur post, It helps so much with all my questions and thoughts going through my head when people offer me such sound advice! I am not too sure if i can risk being brace free for much longer now though. I want them on asap and it may take awhile to get consultations from other orthos! It took over a month just to get this appointment! So i am feeling as though i should just stick to this one.

I am going to have a word with him on wednesday about the ceramics again and see what he says. Maybe he hasnt been qualified long with them and more used to the fixed braces.

I asked him the question of extra charges also if he was to take out my vrace and put it back in and he said it will come under the price he quoted so hopefully he remembers what he said!!! I'll have to get it in writing or something!

Decisions, decisions! Maybe il get my answer in my dreams tonight!

[newmetal]

Good luck man!

[kay]

Good luck man!

Awww thanks newmetal! Hope ur treatment is going well so far too!

[kay]

[quote="Meryaten - The nice thing also is that even if your treatment were not complete by the wedding, since the first thing to be worked on is generally the alignment, your teeth should be looking a lot "prettier" by then - the two that currently overlap should be standing nicely in line!

Hi!! I never thought of it like that. I am pretty sure 9 months of treatment will line up my front 2 teeth, which is my biggest concern. Ceramic will possibly achieve this also in that time scale. I think ortho is estimating he can complete the WHOLE treatment before the wedding day, but yeh it's not a bigie if i can have them taken out n still have straight front teeth!! Decision is swaying to ceramics now!!


If you don't get both arches braced at once, don't worry - it won't look odd in terms of the lips - it was fully 4 months after getting my upper arch braced before I had my lowers bonded. You really couldn't tell.

Phew is all i can say! I thought i might have a prtruding upper lip!!

And as to taking paracetemol before your appointment - probably not needed, but also it's not going to do any harm.

Might take one after then depending on how i feel!

My ortho is of the opinion that (at least for a case like mine) self-ligating metal brackets might be slightly faster - i.e. it might trim off a month or two (and I was sentenced to 18-24)

Wow thats great that ur estimate has gone down! Especially with the self ligating brackets! Gives hope to us all!

[/b]

[ghostmyimag3]

I am also getting my braces on Wednesday!Did they say that it may throw your bite off any? I've seen many people get their uppers done and later on they'd get their lowers done. Not sure as to why though.

Hi, wow we're getting braced on the same day!! My ortho hasnt really mentioned anything about the bite issue, but i am assuming that it might be ok as so many people seem to get their uppers done and then their lowers. But i am going to ask him on wednesday and maybe you should do the same too for piece of mind! Hope it goes well!

I'm having my upper and lowers done. I have crowding in both areas. Here are some pictures of my teeth currently.




As you can see i have spacers at the moment. In the first pic my bottom lip and chin are long looking because of the way my upper teeth come out.I suffer from TMJ also.